Having previously travelled to see the mountain gorillas in both Uganda and Rwanda, it has actually constantly been an imagine mine to check out Borneo one day to see orangutans, and we lastly made it!
Orangutans are the just great apes found in Asia, and together with gorillas and chimpanzees, they are incredibly similar to human beings in terms of anatomy, physiology, and habits. They are also the most endangered of the great apes, discovered just in Borneo and Sumatra. It was truly a special treat to be able to see them in the wild.
Although possibly not also known as Dian Fossey, who studied mountain gorillas, or Jane Goodall, who studied chimpanzees, Dr. Birutė Galdikas also has a special location in this group of females affectionately called “Louis Leakey’s Angels.” She has originated the research study of orangutans in Borneo for over 50 years.
The very best method to appreciate these spectacular animals is to immerse yourself in their environment on a three-night cruise aboard a standard riverboat called a “klotok.” We gently navigated the rivers and channels at a sluggish rate, observing the spectacular jungle views and wildlife along the way, consisting of long-tailed macaques and proboscis monkeys. Every day, the crew on our personal boat spoiled us with outstanding fresh food, and each night we retired to our air-conditioned cabin for an extremely comfy night’s sleep.
Standard klotok riverboat Accompanied by our exceptional and well-informed guide Jefri, we made numerous stops every day to hike into the jungle to view orangutans. Because their jungle environment has been greatly decreased through gold mining and industrial palm oil plantations, some additional feeding of the orangutans is still provided at three of the original rehab and release websites. Daily feedings provide a dietary supplement to both fixed up and wild orangutans. This is particularly valuable beyond fruiting season when food is not as plentiful in the forest canopy, and numerous orangutans check out these feeding stations for sweet potatoes and bananas. This was to our benefit, as we were able to enjoy some genuinely exceptional, close-up watching of these extraordinary animals!
On our first day, we saw an overall of 15 orangutans, consisting of a wizened old female called Lucy and an excellent and massive dominant male known as Roger. This day supplied outstanding animal viewing and an interesting start to our trip.
Roger the orangutan The next day, we took a trip by motorized canoe to the famous Camp Leakey, developed in 1971 by Dr. Galdikas as a research study and rehab center. We had some extremely fortunate timing on arrival when we were “welcomed” by a young male orangutan called Rimba, who was walking on the ground near the entryway. Given that orangutans invest around 90% of their time high up in trees, this was an unique reward to see one so close. We delighted in viewing a wide variety of other orangutans here, consisting of numerous moms with children and some juveniles.
On Day 3, we began with a walk through the forest on our method to Station 2, Pondok Tanggui, for the 9 a.m. feeding. Over 35 orangutans have actually been launched here throughout the years. We saw 3 different mother-infant pairs, with babies varying from two to 4 years of ages, in addition to some young males. Young orangutans stick with their mothers for around 8 years, and afterwards live solitary lives, often rising to 40 years of age.
Our last orangutan viewing was back where everything started, Station 1, for the 3 p.m. feeding. Our old buddy Roger existed, hanging out around the station long before the food even got here. Numerous moms with children and a young juvenile joined him soon, and we saw 2 more high in the trees on our way out, as we stated our last bye-bye to the orangutans on this wonderful adventure.